There’s a guy in our office that has developed that slightly sour damp smell that obese people often have (although he’s a normal weight) over the last few months. It’s unpleasant but not awful, and you kind of get used to it after an hour or so. Is it worth saying anything, and if so, what would you say?

He’s relatively new and is a nice, slightly introverted guy, so need to handful it tactfully. As far as I can see, he either doesn’t know about it (in which case I’d want to be told), knows about it but can’t do anything about it (maybe a medical issue?), or knows about it but doesn’t care (so maybe needs to realise it’s annoying others). WWSTWD?

need to handful (sic) it tactfully.

“Is that you or is there a bag of rotting cabbages under your desk?”

Wish I could claim that was autocorrect but just my inability to type 😳

There’s a guy in our office that has developed that slightly sour damp smell that obese people often have

Chubby sniffer? #Niche

is it that odour that occurs when people don’t dry their clothes immediately after washing them and leave them minging in the washing machine before drying them? not sure it’s necessarily anything to do with being obese but I find often some people have this smell all the time and I loathe it. howabout wearing your favourite scent every day so that all you can smell is something you’ve chosen.

The way they have handled a similar issue in my workplace in the past was to issue a general email to remind people about dress code and personal hygiene standards. Hopefully they see this and take action.

Move his desk into the shower.

Doing a great job speech, present Lush voucher.

Deoderant show and tell as a team building exercise.

No idea really, that’s why I avoid jobs where I’m the boss of people.

I would suggest a private and quiet word, don’t tell the rest of the office that you’ve had a “word”, it’s not really any of their business and a lack of discretion is a sure fire way to piss people off.

Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve heard of an obese person’s smell being a thing (it’s normally the skinny gym people at our place that will smell…).
Above advice is a good start (general email), ultimately it may come down to their line manager needing to have a discrete word (it’s something I’ve thankfully not had to do in 15 years of managing people!).

is it that odour that occurs when people don’t dry their clothes immediately after washing them and leave them minging in the washing machine before drying them?

Yeah, pretty much that – probably not just fatties that get it, but I generally associate it most with that group (2 fat relatives have it and a fat flatmate had it)!

Just ask him if there’s any dampness around his desk suggesting a leak – as it seems to smell of rotting carpet whenever you walk past.

Won’t be long til xmas and hopefully he’ll take the hint when his Secret Santa is a bottle of Persil and a can of Lynx?

Walk in with a cheap can of air freshener (preferably borrow one from the staff loo), liberally spray the air above and all around the offender. Place the can on their desk and walk off. It’s all about being tactful 🙂

Is the guy dislexic?

He’s probably wearing Eau de Colon.

is it that odour that occurs when people don’t dry their clothes

No! I know the whiff – years ago we used to play badminton at lunchtime and this big fella wouldn’t shower after. He got that smell perfectly described by slightly sour damp smell afterwards.
I’ve never been a tactful type so can’t offer advice, but that smell is now in my nose!

I think it must be a mold or a fungus as it got onto some of my clothes when I lived with the overweight flatmate (shared washing machine). Somewhat sorted by using the tumble dryer at a high setting, but I had to bin some stuff 👿

Walk in with a cheap can of air freshener (preferably borrow one from the staff loo), liberally spray the air above and all around the offender. Place the can on their desk and walk off. It’s all about being tactful

It’s a small office so that’d be almost as bad – hate getting in cars with women after they’ve liberally doused themselves in perfume for a night out, makes me feel sick!

I’m considering just saying to the office “has anyone noticed it’s a bit smelly in here these days?”.

Well maybe have a word then to find out. I used to study with a couple of blokes who had caught a fungus somewhere. It was untreatable as well and properly smelly. Nothing they could do about it. We just got used to the smell.

Well maybe have a word then to find out. I used to study with a couple of blokes who had caught a fungus somewhere. It was untreatable as well and properly smelly. Nothing they could do about it. We just got used to the smell.

Yeah, it might be that he knows but can’t do anything about it in which case we’ll just have to ignore it. I think I’d probably send an email round explaining about it if it was me though

I used to work beside ‘stig of the dump’ as he was known – even 27 glade air fresheners on his desk didn’t work 🙁
The worst bit was 6yrs worth of snotters wiped on the underside of his chair that resembled green stalactites!

There can be an issue with washing machines or tumble dryers spec the condenser type dryers. Friends of mine years ago had this issue and the rest of our gang all talked about how to raise it with them, then one day they dryer packed in. Repair man comes out and shows them the mould at the back of the dryer and says “that’s why all your clothes stink!” We laugh about it now but it was quite tricky at the time.

Yeah, pretty much that – probably not just fatties that get it, but I generally associate it most with that group (2 fat relatives have it and a fat flatmate had it)!

It’s probably linked more to one’s general attitude to life…..

I think it’s more prevalent this time of year too. Temps have dropped but it’s not cold enough for central heating to kick in. Therefore if you’re drying clothes indoors they take longer to dry and that smell can develop.

Before criticising anyone else’s personal hygiene check that its not actually your top lip that smells funny.

Had that in previous office. Deputation to the boss who dealt with it. He called him in. Told him he stank. He denied it. Boss said ‘shall I open the door and ask the whole office?’ Gave him some advice and told him to sort it out. Next day guy came in. Smell gone. He told us he didn’t even know that he smelt so bad. It’s def a bosses job. Way above pay grade of anyone else.

Had this at work once, turns out they had damp in the house and his clothes never dried properly

Hook up a higher pressure water hose and casually walk in to the office holding it. When he turns to look at you, open that bad boy up and blast him in to the wall. Once he is sufficiently doused / traumatised pass him a bar of soap. I admit it’s subtle, but will hopefully get the message across.

If I omitted any kind of offensive odour I think I’d appreciate being told about it.

Conversely, I’d really hope I omitted an offensive odour.

Difficult really. He either doesn’t know, doesn’t care, or can’t help it. Does seem to me to be the realms of a line manager issue rather than colleagues having a “quiet word” though. Might be that if there’s a medical condition, the manager already knows.